São Paulo – Yesterday (23rd), businessmen from the state of Paraná showed interest in the Arab market after attending a lecture on the Arab world by the secretary general of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Michel Alaby. The presentation was part of the 1st Seminar on Foreign Trade Sustainability and Potentialities, organized by the Institute for Planning of Foreign Trade Promotion (IPPEX), an arm of the Federation of Trade and Business Associations of the State of Paraná (Faciap).
Alaby spoke to an audience of around 60 businessmen, and was questioned about the sectors with the most export opportunities. “I talked about the food, furniture, cosmetics, construction material, auto parts and agricultural machinery sectors,” he said. According to him, the strongest sectors in the state of Paraná are agroindustry –including beef and chicken, soy oil, sugar – and real estate. Proof of that is that the main products shipped to the Arab market by the state in the first half were chicken meat, maize, sugar and soy.
Exports from the state of Paraná to the Arab countries totalled US$ 439 million, representing growth of 6% over the same period of last year. According to Alaby, the state has a very strong furniture hub that may be better tapped by the Arabs.
The audience also included businessmen from Paraguay and Chile, who asked about the Arab community in Brazil. Alaby explained that there are over 12 million Arabs and descendents in the country, mainly Syrians and Lebanese. The secretary general also talked about the Arab Brazilian Chamber’s work to bring Arabs and Brazilians closer together in trade and cultural relations.
With regard to sustainability, which was the theme of the seminar, Alaby talked about sustainable projects underway in the Arab world, such as the Masdar City, in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, and the International Renewable Energy Agency (Irena), which will provide consultancy on renewable energy.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
